Natural Gas and Energy Policy

A Texas oilman was seated next to a little girl on an airplane. He turned to her and said, 'Hi, my name’s Boone, let's talk. I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with a fellow passenger.' The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to the Boone, 'What would you like to talk about?' 'Oh, I don't know,' said the oilman. 'How about national energy policy?' and he smiles. 'OK,' she said. 'That could be an interesting topic, but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?' Boone, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, 'Hmmm, I have no idea.' To which the little girl replies, 'Do you really feel qualified to discuss national energy policy when you don't know shit?'

The moral of this story is that replacing one unsustainable, non-renewable resource with another that has a much lower energy density is not a solution, it exacerbates the problem.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Luane Todd on May 8, 2009 at 1:34pm: Thank you for this, I will file it for future reference.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sean McDonald on May 9, 2009 at 11:21am: I agree with your post. Why is everyone trying to get us to switch to NG so it will line Boone Pickens pocket? Windmills, Geothermal, PV and CSP is the real solution along with energy storage. Would Boone agree to take all profits fron NG and give it to our failing school? The price of NG will be higher than gasoline if everyone switches to NG. I just cannot believe that so many people on this site are so naive. Boone is just an oilman that see NG as his way to make his next billion.

Sean; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by neil cox on May 9, 2009 at 12:43pm: While there have been some recent spikes in natural gas prices, the average wholesale price is up less than inflation (excluding the housing bust), in spite of speculation for increased demand for vehicles. 5% of our vehicle fuel natural gas will be less than 5% of total natural gas usage, so prices should increase very little unless there is greedy profiteering. 5 percent does not reduce oil imports much, but a along with several other changes, it is a step in the right direction. If governments will send a consistent message about CNG vehicle conversion, there should be natural gas to export for the next 20 years. 30% conversion to natural gas is unlikely, and likely unwise, but my guess is T. Boone Pickens is thinking about 10% is good progress.
My guess is huge amounts of tax payer money are needed to get geothermal, PV and CSP = concentrating solar to 5% each by 2012, so CNG and big wind turbines remain our best bet for 2009 to 2012. Algae in transparent pipes might make 5% by 2012 with modest subsidies, incentives and sensible government policies. In my opinion, Boone should give his natural gas profits, if any, to school vouchers: Public schools are beyond help. Neil; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Eric C. Wood on June 28, 2009 at 10:27pm: I say T. Boone Pickens is right about natural gas. I really do admire his charisma and his love of patriotism. The government send $700 billion dollars out of the country to buy oil from the Middle East. I agree with his point of view on the imports of foreign oil. I always hear him say, "If you don't have a plan, you are on foreign oil."; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by TommyTexasRowlett on July 11, 2009 at 3:49pm: Your comment is valid if one is solely concerned with global warming and eliminating CO2 from the atmosphere. It is a laudable goal and one which we should have as a second step in our national energy security plans.

The first and, I believe, most important step is to get us off our dependence on foreign oil. The only way to achieve this is to switch to domestic sources; ones that WE control not some unstable royal family or unstable dictatorship in the middle east. And the only way to achieve the goal of getting us out of the grasp of foreign oil despots is the Pickens Plan. There is no other option in the near term.

Throw enough resources at it and we could have the Pickens Plan fully implemented (and be free of foreign oil forever) in 5 years.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by mike orenstein on July 31, 2009 at 4:06pm: This is the reply I got from my senator in Missouri:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the increased use of natural gas. I appreciate hearing your views and welcome the opportunity to respond.

We agree that our nation must wean itself off of foreign oil. However, I have concerns about an overreliance on natural gas. Beyond the anticipated expense that comes with a switch to natural gas for vehicles, many believe that the United States has reached a peak in terms of capacity for natural gas production. Moreover, natural gas is a principal component for the production of fertilizers. With the skyrocketing input prices for agricultural operations, I have concerns over the impact this would have on Missouri producers.

However, I am a strong supporter of advanced automotive technology such as hybrid electric, advanced clean diesel, hydrogen and fuel cell technology, in addition to wind and solar energy for the production of power. I believe research and development as well as investment in these technologies will reduce our country’s oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

I supported the Energy Independence and Security Act (P.L. 110-140), a major energy bill that was signed into law in 2008 that focused on increasing the availability of renewable energy and improving energy efficiency. Along with increased fuel economy standards, this bill included an expanded renewable fuels standard that would require the production and use of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022. It also set new standards for lighting efficiency for many household products and required energy efficiency labeling for consumer electronic products.

In addition, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (P.L. 110-343) extended tax credits to those who invest in energy generated by wind farms and solar power, as well as authorizing bonds for clean renewable energy and energy conservation programs on the state and local levels.

It's clear our country needs to reduce its dependence on environmentally harmful energy sources. I believe a broad strategy through investment in clean, renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency programs will help providers develop clean energy projects to secure America’s energy independence. As we begin the 111th Congress, I look forward to expanding the reach of these technologies and to finding new, cleaner ways of producing home-grown energy.

Once again, it's great to hear your thoughts on this matter. Please do not hesitate to let me know of any other issues that are important to you.

All best,
Senator Claire McCaskill

HOW CAN this attitude be overcome by this senator?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by DEATHBYCANCER on August 6, 2009 at 2:38pm: Goodness I needed to hear a good joke and yours just hit the mark, right on man! Yes indeed, these guys are just here to destroy our world to make themselves and their future generations wealthy, all at the cost of our beloved mother earth and all living things that call her home. I can't believe anyone is here to support his pocket picken plan. Remember how he started off saying his plan mostly revolved the idea of renewable energy, for goodness sake even his website shows power windmills on every single page, but the reality of the matter is the fact his main goal has always been to push natural gas and propane. Both of these resources will continue to deteriorate the environment we live in while leaving no hope for a clean environment for our future generations. Everyone seems to be living in the here and now, the next week, the next year but all within the constraints of our own lifetimes. Why have we all become so selfish, so diluted, so quick to shun on the idea of death by cancer, for this is whats going to happen to humanity if we continue on the road of gassing up our environment the way we currently do. Whats wrong with going fully electrical via solar for our most needed functions such as transportation and heating? What's wrong is the T. Boone Pickens and greedy sons-of-guns similar to him, looking for another chance to get richer. Which in turn bogs down the development or propagation of the ideas behind a solar/wind powered America. He doesn't care about the environment, the environment for TBP is simply an avenue to use in trying to push his plan through congress. All of us here are his and other likeminded individuals' way of getting their way with our money, our power and our combined efforts. Shun this guy off once and for all please, we don't need anymore death by cancer or destruction of our environment. We really don't!

Stop being naive people...

Get on the solar bandwagon, yes contact your congressman, but not for pushing natural gas, push for a solar power grid similar to what we already have being powered by carbon. Get you congressman to help pass legislation that will push our domestic automotive manufacturing corporations to start moving toward the idea of a highway system based on a new solar powered grid. Is it hard to believe that if we post up solar panels at every mile marker on every road across our country and even North America, that we couldn't stop emissions altogether? People like TBP will make you believe that his way is the only way, well yeah he's right, its the only for him and his family to make billions more off our backs and health, but that's about the only thing he's right about. Imagine if the entire planet was running on a global solar powered grid system, what this would mean is solar power would be available 24 hours a day in every single populated spot on the planet. Imagine how much bluer our skies will be, imagine how many people will stop getting cancer. Solar powered grid is the key, and TBP is the enemy.

So much more I can or have to say but time is limited, people please use the avenues TBP has put together against his plan not for it. Ask for a solar powered grid that will eventually kill off all TBPs and people like himself. We dont need those galoots to tell us how to better our lives and try to repair our environment. Look at the guy, he's got oil in his eyes and jingling coins in his ears. Trust no oil man, they are the greediest of the greedy and the dirtiest of the dirt.

HOW CAN this attitude be overcome by this senator? Easy, pull her seat from under her, we control the senate. Numbers talk, plain and simple.... Numbers talk and votes make it happen.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by neil cox on August 9, 2009 at 4:19pm: Hi Death: I don't think scarcely anyone is "just here to destroy our world" Certainly not T. Boone Pickens. I don't think T. Boone Pickens has encouraged conversions to propane. Pickens and I agree CNG = compressed natural gas is not a good long term solution, but it may save the day until we have other short term solutions. Going fully electric would be putting all our eggs in one basket. Even 40% of our energy from electricity will take 20 years, of a massive effort until 2029. The Chinese likely will not accept our IOU for another 20 years, perhaps not even two more years, so we need a plan that can produce quick results. T. Boone Pickens has given us the only plan that can be implemented quickly. Your plan is totally unrealistic, because we only have a few small factories making PV panels in the USA. Doubling USA PV production each year still makes PV a minor niche in 2010 and 2011. Concentrating solar may be a bit better, if we can double the installed capacity each year, but we can't, except with massive imports. Worse electricity made from concentrating solar costs twice (often more than twice) as much as electricity from big wind turbines in West Texas, partly because there are only a few hundred persons in the USA who understand the details of building good concentrating solar, Typically these few do not want to teach their profitable skill. So again T. Boone Pickens is correct and you are wrong.
Yes it is hard to believe that solar panels at every mile marker can be implemented at less than astronomical cost. How do we prevent thieves from stealing the solar panels? If the solar panels produce typically1000 volts dc, how do we safely get this into the car and truck batteries, which have a variety of voltages and allowable charging rates? Are you going to put 400 volt batteries at each mile marker for the battery thieves, so we can charge vehicles at night? We can charge electric vehicles where the grid already exists, but that is likely only about 1% of the mile markers. Concentrating solar can supplement the grid power when the sun is shining on the panels. Concentrating solar is less likely to be stolen, and likely less costly than PV for the next two years, perhaps much longer. Free electricity at 1% of the mile markers may be enough to get most of the public buying electric vehicles, if you have solutions to the other problems. Neil; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bill Ryan on August 9, 2009 at 9:15am: TBP would have never replied, "Hmmm, I have no idea". Our problem is real and there is not one perfect way to correct it. You can laugh all you want, but all of the one issue (experts) will insure that we will end up with no plan and because of that our democracy will cease to exsist on "Mother Earth" under a mountain of debt. We must begin to stem the transfer of our national wealth NOW not next year. Why is it that some fools would rather give the Chinese promissary notes so we can buy Middle East oil and not let someone in the USA like TBP make a buck? We should not let these jealous zealots frame the future.

The Pickens Plan is a good start. It is a logical way out of the mess we are in. If nothing is done the Chinese will one day get smart and ask for collateral for the money they borrow us like my banker does when I go to him. When this happens and our President is forced to sign a mortgage on our National Parks, National Forests & Mississippi River to fund our old habits maybe everyone will take notice.

The moral of this story is that it is better to solve and pay for your problems as they arise than wait another 40 years, it exacerbates the problem.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tom Bailey on August 10, 2009 at 3:49am: As stated;

1, We need to get our large fleet of delivery vehicles on a form of natural gas. UPS, Postal, DHL, Fed X, and your local delivery vehicles. These for the most return to a "hub" where a refuel could be feasibly done in a short timespan.

2, Next, address the large over the road fleet "Big trucks". This may take a bit more time.

Just addressing these 2 areas we can cut a huge chunk of our oil need. This possibly might cause oil to drop or at least stable in cost for the near future as we put into play the ALL OTHER.

3, We need to get our personal vehicles on any thing or any form of charging that works, battery, solar, wind and yes even some will op for a form of NG.

As you all know the wind project is still a go. But many factors have pushed the date into 2013.
It will take steps to reach our goal!

Best; Tom; ▶ Reply to This